1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to new and improved apparatus for displaying a pattern on the picture tube of a standard television receiver and varying the pattern in accordance with an audio frequency signal input.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Systems have been devised in the past for interpreting sound, especially music, in terms of color. The development of such systems has been a natural result of a long standing recognition that sounds are peculiarly susceptible to portrayal and interpretation by the many known shades and tones of color. Thus, footlights and spotlights of various colors have been used in dramatic and musical productions for many years. Also, there are numerous instances of "sound and light" shows which have often been used to provide a background for narration of historical or travel information.
In the past, systems have been proposed for correlating light and sound in which music from any suitable source is coordinated with a bank of many colored lights. The lights have been correlated in accordance with either the frequency or amplitude characterisitcs. Such a system is shown in Patterson U.S. Pat. No. 1,977,997.
Giacoletto U.S. Pat. No. 2,804,500 discloses an apparatus wherein electric currents representing sound waves are divided into frequency bands by means of suitable filtering devices and fed into separate paths to control electrodes of separate color cathrode ray tubes or the different control electrodes of a single tri-color tube for color television display.
Miura et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,192 discloses an apparatus in which a sound signal is analyzed into a plurality of constituent frequency components and applied to a color display on a color picture tube of a television receiver.
Ward U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,963 discloses an apparatus for displaying a seismic format on a cathrode ray tube.
In addition, a variety of types of game apparatus have been recently developed and marketed for displaying selected patterns on the picture tube of a television receiver. Game apparatus of this type includes means to control a pattern and movement of the display on the picture tube.